Hot Water Enhanced Germination of Leucaena Leucocephala Seeds in Light and Dark Conditions

Abstract

Leucaena leucocephala has a great potential in crop and livestock production. However, the plant is difficult to propagate from both seeds and stem cuttings Scarification treatment has the prospective of enhancing seed germination. Chemicals and water have been used for seed scarification. This study evaluated the effectiveness of hot and boiling water in enhancing the germination of Leucaena leucocephala seed. Information on the condition (light or dark) at which Leucaeana seeds germinate better is also provided. The seeds were immersed in hot water and boiling water for 1, 2, 3, and 4 minutes respectively. At twenty-one days after the set-up of the experiment, untreated L. leucocephala seeds had 0 % and 13.3 % germinations under light and dark conditions respectively.; seeds immersed in boiling water for 1- 4 minutes did not germinate irrespective of the condition of germination while all the seeds immersed in hot water for one to three minutes had total (100%) germination; delaying the period of immersing the seeds in hot water to four minutes resulted in significantly less percentage germination than the aforementioned ones immersed in hot water for one to three minutes but had significantly greater germination than the untreated seeds. Dark and light conditions resulted in similar percentage seed germination outcome. Immersing Leucaena leucocephala seeds for one minute is recommended. Planting seeds in dark condition is recommended since continuous light provided no additional germination outcome, in spite of the additional cost of providing continuous light in the growth of seeds under light condition.